“…The navy suffered defeat at Hongze Marsh. Eight or nine out of ten Great Chu officers and men perished. Upon hearing this in Xuzhou, your subject was consumed with worry, unable to sleep through the night, fearing that Your Majesty and the various lords of the court would fail to perceive the Liang Emperor’s scheme. I wished I could sprout wings and fly to Your Majesty’s side to help resolve Your Majesty’s troubles. Although your subject has not completed the mourning period, with the nation in crisis, there are none who would think of family before worrying about the state. Thus, receiving the Empress Dowager’s summons, without consideration of anything else, your subject assembled troops and warships, not daring to delay for a moment, traveling day and night. On the twelfth day of the twelfth month, I led eight sailing warships carrying 3,251 loyal and brave men of Xuzhou to arrive at Tangyi. Your subject wishes his humble person to serve as a protective screen for the imperial capital, wishes his sincere heart to share Your Majesty’s worries…”
“…Tangyi is the northern gateway to the imperial capital. If Tangyi remains, the imperial capital can rest without worry. The city was destroyed by the flames of war in the final years of the previous dynasty. When the Late Emperor established his seat in Jinling, he dispatched generals to construct the city as a protective screen. However, Tangyi as a solitary city is difficult to preserve. Mount Daci is a remaining range of Mount Huaiyang, facing the river and resting against the Chu River. Beyond the Chu River lie Nanqiao, Chuzhou, Langye and other places. To the west is Liyang, facing the imperial capital across the river. High in the west and low in the east, the Xihua and Tianjing peaks all stand over 130 zhang high. The mountain terrain is majestic, naturally forming mutual support with Tangyi, serving as the fortress on the north bank of the imperial capital. The Chu River, anciently called the Tu River, originates from Mount Fucha, flows from west to east, and merges with the river waters west of Tangyi City—it is north of Mount Daci, yet another protective screen…”
“Xu Mingzhen is a traitor who defected to the Liang state, commanding over one hundred thousand troops. Even if the Liang army does not come, the Jiang-Huai region is endangered. Unable to defend the heartland of Huaixi, yet also unable to lose our foothold on the north bank—in your humble subject’s meager opinion, besides Tangyi as a solitary city, we should extensively construct fortresses throughout the interior and exterior of Mount Daci and the Chu River, fill them with elite troops, maintain mutual observation with Shuzhou to the west and Yangzhou to the east. Only then can we prevent the enemy forces from drinking at the Yangtze’s edge and not dare to covet the cauldron before Your Majesty’s throne…”
“Your subject is of meager virtue and scant ability, having only unwavering loyalty to Your Majesty. I wish to summon brave warriors from Jiang-Huai who dare to fight to defend Tangyi, Mount Daci, and the Chu River, hoping that one day I may die wrapped in horsehide for Great Chu to continue my late father’s aspirations. I implore Your Majesty to grant permission. Your subject Han Qian kowtows…”
The Xuzhou naval camp arrived at Tangyi on the north bank before noon. That afternoon, Feng Liao and Guo Rong crossed the river into Jinling City, presenting the “Memorial Requesting to Defend the North” on Han Qian’s behalf.
Inside Chongwen Hall, Yang Yuanpu with his pale complexion sat high behind the imperial desk. Listening to Feng Liao standing in the center of the great hall loudly reading the memorial aloud, the corners of his eyes couldn’t help but twitch slightly.
Shen Yang, Yang Zhitang, Zhou Bingwu, Du Chongtao, Zheng Yu, Zheng Chang, Han Daoming, Li Changfeng, Chen De, Zhang Chao, Guo Liang, Zhang Han and other generals and officials sat on either side—some expressionless, some grave, some uncertain with shock and suspicion. After listening to Feng Liao finish reading Han Qian’s “Memorial Requesting to Defend the North,” they remained silent for a long time.
Han Qian’s memorial was filled with copious words, but the actual meaning could be summarized in a few sentences.
Nothing more than: “I came following the Empress Dowager’s command. Upon arriving and seeing only Tangyi as a single city would be very passive, I suggest using Tangyi as one endpoint, constructing more fortresses along Mount Daci and the Chu River, recruiting brave warriors who dare to fight from Jiang-Huai, forming a defensive line exceeding a hundred li in length—only then can Jinling rest secure and worry-free. I am incompetent and without ambition; my greatest virtue is unwavering loyalty to Your Majesty. Therefore, I request Your Majesty’s permission for me to take full responsibility for this matter. Kowtow.”
Although the Right Divine Martial Army and naval remnants had only successfully broken out three or four days ago, and most were still trapped in the hills of the northern section of Five Peaks Mountain, not yet able to break through the enemy cavalry’s blockade line, there were still individual officers and men who had fought their way out from other directions and escaped.
Bureau of Operations Principal Officer Xu Jing had gathered dozens of routed soldiers and risked passing through the reed marshes that ambush forces had set ablaze, successfully breaking out of the encirclement. Fleeing south all the way in panic, he had escaped back to Jinling the night before last.
Xu Jing was currently the highest-ranking official to have escaped back to Jinling. Of course, besides Xu Jing, there had been seventy or eighty others who had directly crossed the river and fled back to Jinling.
At the same time, there were also three to four hundred routed soldiers who, when passing through Tangyi, had been directly recruited by Han Qian and Zhou Dan.
However, apart from the four thousand-odd remnants in Five Peaks Mountain, these were the scant few officers and men who had managed to break out from Zhongli.
This also meant that in the Zhongli breakout battle, over twelve thousand officers and men had been annihilated.
Even if the remnant soldiers in the northern section of Five Peaks Mountain Range could successfully break out, the Right Divine Martial Army and Great Chu navy could be said to have been completely destroyed.
The Left and Right Five Fangs Armies and Right Divine Martial Army—before the battle they had numbered over forty-two thousand officers, men, and naval forces. In the end, only about four thousand had escaped alive and returned. Nine out of ten dead—what great difference was there from complete annihilation?
This was a rare crushing defeat, a catastrophic defeat since the Liang-Chu rivalry began.
Even in the Jing-Xiang military situation, which had been extremely critical at one point—beaten by the Liang army in the early stages with no ability to fight back—the actual loss of elite combat forces was far from as devastating as this time.
Moreover, the Liang army’s most elite heavy armored cavalry were currently ambushed south of Zhongli City, becoming the key link in routing the breakout forces. Wen Ruilin’s appearance at Zhongli, Gao Long’s assassination of Chen Mingsheng before the breakout, and other such events—all were sufficient to demonstrate that Li Pu’s previous proposal for the navy to raid Hongze Marsh was a matter where Great Chu’s sovereign and ministers had fallen completely and thoroughly into the enemy’s conspiracy and trap.
Although Jinling City had not yet received information about large Liang forces crossing the Huai southward, this was something that could now be foreseen.
In fact, because Li Zhigao and Han Qian, together with Zhou Dan, worried that Yang Yuanpu might erupt in violent conflict with Empress Dowager Wang Chan’er too early, which could seriously shake military morale, they not only stopped transmitting military intelligence to Jinling, but even deliberately blocked information.
Therefore, before Xu Jing escaped back to Jinling, the court only knew that large numbers of Shouzhou cavalry were advancing east, but regarding the specific scale and the Right Divine Martial Army’s encirclement, they didn’t know the details. No further detailed information had been transmitted back from Li Zhigao’s side either.
It wasn’t until yesterday when the Privy Council directly dispatched reconnaissance cavalry to cross the river and rush to Chaozhou City that they discovered that Li Zhigao, at approximately the same time Xu Mingzhen was leading Shouzhou cavalry to intercept the Right Divine Martial Army, had persuaded the various generals along with Li Pu to act according to the Empress Dowager’s secret edict. He had long since abandoned the plan to attack Chaozhou City and was arranging troops to withdraw southeast toward Qianshan.
Also yesterday, the Hunan Pacification Commissioner Huang Hua transmitted news from Yueyang that the Xuzhou naval camp had entered the Yangtze following the Empress Dowager’s handwritten edict. Not until today was it confirmed that the Xuzhou naval camp had entered Tangyi, and Feng Liao had come to Jinling on Han Qian’s behalf to present the memorial.
Over these three days, one piece of news after another—like massive boulders dropping from ten thousand zhang high—had shaken everyone’s hearts.
If this had been before the Right Divine Martial Army’s annihilation, Yang Yuanpu would naturally have stormed into Changchun Palace in fury to demand why the Empress Dowager had secretly transmitted edicts behind his back, why she had interfered in state affairs without even a word of greeting.
He might even have furiously convened the various great ministers to decide on abolishing the Empress Dowager’s authority to administer state affairs, and ordered Chen Ruyi and An Jixiang to directly strengthen surveillance of Changchun Palace and reclaim the authority of the Weaving Bureau.
He might even have personally crossed the river to the Chaozhou camp and publicly stripped the ungrateful Li Zhigao of command over the Huaixi forbidden armies.
However, at this moment, what could he say? What could he do?
If he wanted to speak, would the princes and great ministers still listen to him?
If he wanted to act, would the princes and great ministers definitely not jump out to stop him?
Yang En, Li Pu, and Li Zhigao were all acting according to the Empress Dowager’s secret edict. Among the various ministers in this hall, how many could he truly trust?
If he convened the great ministers to decide on abolishing the Empress Dowager’s authority to administer state affairs, would it not evolve at any moment into a situation where the assembled ministers petitioned the Empress Dowager to preside over court?
Yang Yuanpu was like a wolf severely bitten by a companion, dispirited. He had locked himself in Chongwen Hall for two days, smashing to smithereens everything that could be smashed, personally beating to death three palace maids who didn’t watch their step, beating the two useless eunuchs Chen Ruyi and An Jixiang—who hadn’t even managed to get wind of anything beforehand—until their faces were bruised and swollen. Not until today when Feng Liao and Guo Rong came to Jinling on Han Qian’s behalf to present the “Memorial Requesting to Defend the North” did he slightly restrain his inner rage.
Zhang Ping came over to tell him that if he didn’t receive the great ministers soon, they would have no choice but to invite the Empress Dowager from Changchun Palace into Chongwen Hall to hear reports. Only then was he forced to receive the participating ministers and Feng Liao and Guo Rong again in Chongwen Hall.
Listening to Feng Liao read the memorial aloud, Yang Yuanpu’s eyelids kept twitching slightly.
To speak honestly, at this moment his suspicion and hatred toward Han Qian had inexplicably lessened. What made his hands uncontrollably tremble slightly at this moment was Li Zhigao’s betrayal!
Yes, even now he couldn’t understand why Li Zhigao would act according to the Empress Mother’s handwritten edict behind his back!
Even if Li Zhigao had differing opinions regarding the war arrangements, why didn’t he submit a memorial to him?
Could it be that Li Zhigao had always been the Empress Mother’s man, only pretending from beginning to end to obediently follow his commands?
At this moment, Yang Yuanpu felt a piercing chill emanating from deep within his bones.
For Shen Yang, Yang Zhitang, Zhou Bingwu, Du Chongtao, Zheng Yu, Zheng Chang, Han Daoming, Li Changfeng, Chen De, Zhang Chao, Guo Liang, Zhang Han and the others, although their hearts had similarly surged with waves over these three days, they felt considerably better than Yang Yuanpu.
Although this was the first time the Empress Dowager had transmitted an edict to interfere with outer court military affairs since summoning Shen Yang into the Bureau of State Affairs, the matter of the Empress Dowager’s authority to administer state affairs had not been abolished.
Han Qian, Li Zhigao, Li Pu, Yang En and others acting according to the Empress Dowager’s handwritten edict, although very abrupt—one could even say it was directly forcing the palace against His Majesty—at least could not be said to be inconsistent with proper authority.
In fact, it was precisely the Empress Dowager’s timely intervention that temporarily resolved what might have been the greatest crisis since Great Chu’s founding. Deep in their hearts, they felt more relief than anything.
Particularly the Xuzhou naval camp’s timely entry into the Yangtze had removed everyone’s worry that Jinling might suffer direct attack, and they no longer needed to fear that the main Huaixi forbidden army forces might be trapped north of the river and become isolated.
Although the Right Divine Martial Army had suffered devastating losses, Great Chu’s current situation was actually slightly better than when the main naval forces were destroyed. At least there was no crisis requiring desperate risk-taking. The main Huaixi forbidden army forces hadn’t suffered severe losses, preserving the foundation of the forbidden armies organized after the Jinling Incident.
Han Qian had made his name in the Battle of Xichuan. With Tangyi backed by the Yangtze, the possibility of defending Tangyi was extremely high. Some even harbored hopes in their hearts that beneath Tangyi City they could reenact the Battle of Xichuan—the glory of defeating the Liang army with just a single city.
Moreover, apart from His Majesty, the Empress Dowager had no other offspring born with the Late Emperor. Even if she directly presided over state affairs this time, in most people’s view, it wouldn’t trigger a crisis of deposing the Emperor and establishing another.
What most people worried about was that the temporarily resolved crisis, as the Liang army crossed the Huai southward, could intensify again at any time. They also worried about how to clean up the mess that had become of the Huaixi situation after the Shouzhou army’s defection to the Liang state.
After Feng Liao presented the memorial on Han Qian’s behalf, Yang Yuanpu didn’t want to appear too passive or to have everything led by the nose. In court, he only ordered the great ministers to draft memoranda and carefully consider good strategies. He didn’t have everyone immediately debate Han Qian’s memorial or discuss countermeasures for the subsequent situation…